A 40-year-old labourer picked up a newspaper this morning. A tear came to his eye and he had to brush it away quickly, before the other fellas noticed. He was crying, not because the news was bad, as usual, but because he could actually read the newspaper. Before, he couldn’t. After a year of attending classes at ALTA (Adult Literacy Tutors Association), he didn’t have to be embarrassed about not being able to read anymore.

A 12-year-old girl woke up this morning in a single bed in a dormitory with other girls. The sun was shining on the leaves of the sapodilla tree outside. A smile came to her face. She was safe. Far from her stepfather. She was in a loving, caring environment at last, a home with other girls who had been victims of abuse or incest, or whose parents are drug addicts.

These are just two of the thousands of people in our country who have been helped by the NGOs supported by United Way Trinidad and Tobago. From 2004 to 2009 United Way supported 57 NGOs, groups who help the vulnerable in our land, from children with special needs to women who have been raped. They give us hope for tomorrow; they show us that we have the power within all of us to change the way things are into how we want them to be.

And on Emancipation Day, August 1, one of United Way’s donor partners, PCS Nitrogen, will host SHOW (Simply Helping Our World), An Evening of Cocktails, Culture and Couture at the Hyatt Regency Ballroom. Featuring fashion from Heather Jones Designs, Micles & Micles Kids, Millhouse, Shaun Griffith-Perez Designs, Ecliff Elie Designs, Jes Wear, Shurnel and Christian Boucaud Designs, SHOW will also shine a spotlight on jazz musicians Anthony Woodruffe & Friends, Vaughnette Bigford and Meda Ellis, first-runner-up in last year’s Digicel Rising Stars competition.

Anthony Woodruffe Jr, who plays the saxophone, is in his final year of the BA (Hons) Jazz Studies degree at Leeds College of Music (LCM) in the UK. But already he has played with the great Cuban jazz violinist Omar Puente, who frequently gigs with the famous British musician Courtney Pine. At LCM, Woodruffe has furthered his understanding and love of Latin music, as the flautist for the LCM Latin Big Band.

Recognised for her haunting delivery of some of the most timeless jazz standards, Vaughnette Bigford’s professional entry onto the jazz circuit came at the 2004 Steelpan & Jazz Festival as guest vocalist with Len ’Boogsie’ Sharpe and Phase II Pan Groove. For three consecutive years she graced the stage at the San Fernando Jazz Festival, appearing with Carlton Alexander’s Coalpot Band. Also at that Festival, audiences were treated to her leading the chorus line for world-renowned flugel horn player Socca Moruakgomo from Botswana.

Bigford has worked with some of Trinidad and Tobago’s most celebrated jazz musicians, including Carlton Zanda, Theron Shaw, Raf Robertson and Ray Holman.

Meda Ellis was only 16 when she stole the hearts of Digicel Rising Stars fans. The Bishop’s Anstey High East student began her informal training at the age of three, and her natural talent and artistic ability were perfected with formal voice training.

Coming from a musically talented family, Meda won the Song Stage Competition at the Trinidad and Tobago Amphitheatre in 2004 and placed second in the last Digicel Rising Stars competition. She hopes to pursue a degree in singing and the music business.

SHOW is PCS Nitrogen’s bid to raise funds for United Way, under the patronage of former First Lady Mrs Zalayhar Hassanali. The company has tapped into this country’s many resources to put on quite a SHOW - in addition to the designers and musicians, students of the Caribbean Academy of Fashion & Design at the University of Trinidad and Tobago will provide fashion styling and production coordination services for the evening.

PCS Nitrogen plans various charity/fundraising initiatives throughout the year driven by an in-house United Way Committee. Employees show their support in the form of cash donations (which are matched by PCS), and give of their time to the various institutions/children’s homes under the UWTT banner. This year the campaign theme is LIVE UNITED! and the aim is to raise $5million for the many Trinbagonians who need assistance.

-For tickets to SHOW, visit Micles (all locations), Meiling (Kapok Hotel), Radical Designs (all locations), OPTIQUE (the Falls at West Mall), and La Tropicale Flower Shop. Contribution: $450.

All proceeds will be donated to the United Way of Trinidad and Tobago.

For ticket information call: 497-6956 or 740-3118

E-mail: show@pcsnitrogen.co.tt